Avoiding re-compression loss
Every time a JPG is opened and saved again, its compression runs again and a little more detail turns into blur and blockiness. Cropping in most tools does exactly that. Two ways around it here:
- Lossless mode (in the tools section) cuts the JPG without recompressing it at all. The crop’s top-left corner snaps to the file’s 8- or 16-pixel block grid. How it works.
- High quality — if you need an exact position, rotation by an odd angle or a resize, choose Best to keep the second compression gentle.
Quality settings in plain terms
| Setting | JPG quality | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Smaller | 75 | Messages, email, web pages where size matters |
| Balanced | 92 | Default; indistinguishable from the original for most photos |
| Best | 98 | Pictures you will edit or print |
| Lossless | — | Keeping the camera’s exact data |
The estimated file size appears before you export and is replaced by the real size afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Which JPG quality setting should I use?
Balanced (92) suits almost everything. Smaller (75) is fine for chat and email. Best (98) is for pictures you will edit again. Lossless avoids re-compression altogether.
Why is my cropped JPG bigger than expected?
Your browser compresses differently from your camera, so the same quality number can give a different size. Try Smaller, or use Lossless — its size is roughly proportional to the area you keep.
Can I keep the camera details?
Yes: tick Keep camera details (no location) to keep make, model and date. Location is never kept.